Apparatus for grinding sheet-metal scrap



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

v J. DODGE.

APPARATUS FOR GRINDING SHEET METAL SCRAP.

Patented Nov. 20, 18 83..

' WITNESSES:

(No Model.) 7

2 SheetsSheet 2. J. DODGE. v APPARATUS FOR GRINDING SHEET METAL SCRAP. No. 288,625

Patented Nov. 20 1883.

bodiment of my invention.

form and character represented.

f UNITED STATES T ATENT Enron.

JAMEsDoDeE, or NEWARK, NEW JEnsEY.

APPARATUS FOR GRINDING SHEET-METAL SCRAP.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 288,625, dated November 20, 1883.

Application filed May 29, 1888. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, JAMES DODGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented an Improved Apparatus for Grinding Sheet-Metal Scrap, Wire, and various refuse" substances of metal, of which the following is a specification. I

The object of my invention is the provision of automatic means for grinding, shearing, or cutting up into very small pieces scrap metal, such as wire ends, shavings, clippings from blanks, and kindred substances which are fit for no useful purpose.

In the accompanying drawings I have represented a preferred form of a convenient cm- In the various figures of the drawings similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional elevation of the entire apparatus, section being supposed in a plane projected on the dotted line a a of Fig. 2, and sight being taken from the left-hand side of said Fig. 2., Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the entire apparatus. Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of both the stationary feeding-chute and the sliding feeder removed from the machine. Fig. 4 is a per spective detail of the fixed corrugated knife removed from the machine. Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the cutting-head; and Fig. 6 is a perspective detail of said cutting-head, both of the above figures being especially designed to represent the construction of the channels through the corrugations, the application of the knives, and the formation of the pockets or recesses which lie between the corrugations. Fig. 7 is a sectional plan taken on a horizontal plane projected through both the cuttinghead and the teeth of the fixed corrugated knife; and Fig. 8, a longitudinal sectional elevationaldetail through the stationary chute and the sliding feeder.

In the drawings, A represents a housing of any suitable material, construction, and di-,

mensions, but which is well made when of the B is a driving-shaft transversely journaled in suitable bearings in the housing, extending completely through said housing, so as to project beyond it onboth sides, and equipped at of theinterior of the housing. This cutting;

head is provided with a series of parallel peripherally-disposed corrugations, h, and with one, two, or a series of longitudinally or axially disposed and, by preference, radially incut channels or gaps, h, which longitudinally divide the whole series of corrugations to the extent of their full depth, so'that the advance edges of said corrugations, considered with respect to the direction of movement of the cutting-head, are constituted knives, and operate, in connection with the fixed corrugated knife I, to chop or cut up the material, substantially as hereinafter set forth. The fixed corrugated knife, which is in effect a fixed cutting-head, represented removed in'Fig. 4., is inserted in any convenient manner in the frame-work in such position that its teeth or corrugations i mesh between the corrugations of the cuttinghead, as will be understood by reference to Figs. 1 and 7. The scrap is cut, sheared, or broken between the advance faces of the corrugations or knives of the cutting-head and the teeth upon the fixed corrugated knife, as

will be readilyunderstoodby further reference to Figs. 1 and 7.

J is a discharging chute, located inthe housing below the fixed corrugated knife, and arranged to discharge either to the front of the g machine, as shown inthe drawings, or, if desired, to the side or rear of said housing.

K is a stationary feeding-chute, preferably of the breadth of the housing, rigidly affixed to the front thereof, and containing a sliding plunger or sliding feeder, Ii, which is adapted to be reciprocated lengthwise of said stationary feeding-chute, and which is retained in place for its reciprooatory movement by means of tongues or kindred devices Z, Fig. 2, conformed to dovetailed or other grooves or ways, k, formed in the stationary chute. The stationary feeding-chute, within which the sliding feeder travels, is located at the head of the machine, and its incline is such as to enable a discharge of material directly against the cutting-head. The front face of the sliding feeder constitutes a plunger proper, and is designated Z It is the operative instrumentality which occasions the feed of the material into the channels or gaps of the cutting-head. The slidingfeeder is actuated to reciprocation by means of link-bars M connected therewith, and also connected to the upper extremity of a rocking frame, N, which is journaled upon an axial rod, 0, transversely fixed in the housing, and is vibrated in one direction to cause the advance of the sliding feeder by means of cams P of suitable conformation, carried upon the axis of or formed as a part of the cuttinghead, and is vibrated in the other direction or returned to occasion the retreat of the sliding feeder by means of a C-spring of the band variety, or kindred device, affixed to the housing and bearing against said frame.

a are friction-rolls carried by the rocking frame, and set to register against the cams, with a view to relieving the friction of a direct contact. I

The above is a description of the devices which in their assembled relation constitute the operative members of my machine. In order, however, to afford means of escape for the cut scrap from out the channels of the cutting-head, and from between the knife-faces of its corrugations and the teeth of the fixed corrugated knife, I have found it advisable to channel into the substance of the cutting-head, or to' cut out a portion of the bellies or bases of the grooves 'formed between the peripheral corrugations in the plane of a cord of the circle of the cutting-head, so as to form pockets or recesses R, of substantially such a character as are represented in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings. The deepest portion of these recesses is bounded by a radial plane, which is one of the planes of division of the corrugations which form their advance extremities or cutting-faces, and said recesses gradually diminish until they vanish in the bellies or grooves between the corrugations. The object of these pockets or recesses is simply as stated, to permit of the free escape and discharge of the finely-cut scrap.

As a matter of convenience in mechanical construction, and for the purpose of enabling the replacing of the parts quickest to wear out, portions of the corrugations of the cutting-head are set in as separate pieces, whichI have designated by the letter S, and have entitled the knives proper, 7 and which are preferably made of steel or chilled iron. A convenient means of inserting these portions of the cutting-head is represented in Fig. 7, wherein the inset portions or knives proper are shown as dovetailed between overhanging edges t,

formed in the substance of the euttting-head, and of a segmental blockt also formed with an overhanging edge, and secured by a screw or kindred device to the cutting-head. Other means than this may, however, be employed. I have also made the fixed corrugated knife removable, so that when one is worn out an-' other can be put in its stead.

In the operation of the machine the cam is of such outline as to cause the timing of the advance of the sliding feeder to be synchronous with the presentation in the plane of its travel of each successive channel in the cutting-head and to cause the throw of said sliding feeder to be such that its plunging face stops just short of entering the channel which presents itself to its advance, so that such material as is forced ahead of the sliding feeder is pushed by it directly into the channel which then presents, so as to completely fill said channel.

Figs. 1 and 8, is a cross-head or gage applied across the front end of the stationary feeding-chute, which is designed to prevent the discharge from the carrying-face of the sliding feeder of more material than is enough to completely fill one of the channels of the cutting-head. This gage may, if desired, be made adjustable, so that upon completion of the retreat of the sliding feeder its upper or inner edge may be set at precisely such distance from the plunging face of said sliding feeder as will permit of the dropping down upon the carrying-face of the stationary chute of the requisite quantity of scrap.

Having now described a preferred form of a convenient embodiment of my invention, it is proper for me to add that a skilled mechanic could, in many mechanical details, vary the construction of myvapparatus without, however, departing from the employment of the essential elements thereof, which are hereinafter claimed. Thus, for instance, other means than the cam and rocking frame might be substituted for the actuation of the sliding chute, and other devices than those represented be substituted for the actuation of the cuttinghead. I have simply instanced those already described as convenient for the purpose. Of course any desired number of channels or gaps may be formed in the cutting-head, although if more or less than four are used, the cam represented must be modifiedto occasion anumber of throws of the sliding chute equal to the number of channels employed. It is possible to obtain many of the benefits derived from the construction of cutting-head and fixed corrugated knife without the employment of a reciprocating or sliding feeder by simply allowing the scrap to gravitate down a fixed inclined chute, or by otherwise feeding it into the channels; but it is preferable to have an automatically-op erating chute of the character represented in the drawings. It is also possible to obtain many of the benefits derived from the construction of cutting-head and fixed corrugated knife here inbefore referred to without imparting a continuous or anyrotary motion to the cuttinghead. Thus, for example, the cutting-head may be caused to oscillate and not to rotate, and in the event of said head being caused to oscillate it would be operative with but one longitudinal channel, although more than one might of course be employed. It would also be necessary, obviously, to modify the form of the cams represented in the accompanying drawings, and otherwise to slightly modify the runninggear, if the head were caused to oscillate. The changes, however, would be entirely mechanical and such as any skilled operative could make. The channels would be simply caused to vibrate or oscillate up and down across the path of the sliding feeder, which would be timed to approach and recede from them precisely as in the case of a rotary head.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim- 1. In a machine for reducing scrap, the following instrumentalities in combination: first,

lowing instrumentalities in combination: first,

a corrugated rotary cutting-head provided with one or a series of longitudinal channels or gaps extending across its corrugations; second, a fixed cutting-knife the corrugations or teeth of which mesh between the corrugations upon the cutting-head; third, means for actuating the cutting-head to rotation; fourth, a sliding plunger or sliding feeder; and, fifth, means for and with incut recesses or pockets between said corrugations, substantially as set forth.

4:. In combination with the rotary corrugated cutting-head proper, H, having longitudinal channels or gaps extending across its corrugations, and having seats for knives, the removable segmental corrugated knives S, whose cor rugations, when the knives are in place in the head, are aligned with the corrugations formed in the substance of the head proper, and means for retaining theknives fixedly in place in the head proper, substantially as set forth.

5. In combination with the rotary corrugated cutting-head provided with longitudinal channels or gaps extending across its corrugations and adapted to be rotated, a housing containing a fixed corrugated knife the teeth of which mesh between the corrugations upon the head, a stationa y feeding chute applied to said housing, a sliding feeder adapted to be recip rocated in fixed relation within and with respect to said stationary feeding-chute, and

means for occasioningthe reciprocation of said sliding feeder,'substantially as and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 18th day of May, A. D. 1883. JAMES DDDGE. Inpresence of-- THEODORE SANDFORD, W'M. W. LYoNs. 

